AustLit

This essay provides an analysis of some of the finer and innovative details of Motherland, a 2016 performance by Australian playwright Katherine Lyall-Watson, including its staging, characterisation and lighting. The centrepiece of the review examines how the stories of three women were transformed into a beautiful, seamless and intelligent performance that both intrigued and captured the hearts of the audience.

The essay will also examine how Motherland engages with the themes, issues and staging of Australian history and identity by comparing it to plays from the 1940s; Wives Have Their Uses by Gwen Meredith, and Quiet Night by Dorothy Blewett. The comparison with period plays highlights how the writing and staging of historical theatre like Motherland, is influenced by contemporary perspectives and theatrical trends, sometimes nuanced but at times more stark. I argue that while the themes addressed in the three plays are similar, the theatrical techniques employed in Motherland are vastly different while hindsight tends to influence our perception of the past.